Foreign News
Pope Leo XIV calls Church ‘a beacon to illuminate dark nights’ in first Mass
The new Pope, Leo XIV, has called in his first Mass at the Vatican for the Catholic Church to “desperately” counter a lack of faith.
Speaking the day after he was elected as the 267th Pope and first US leader of the Church, he warned that people were turning away from faith and instead to “technology, money, success, power, or pleasure”.
Leo said he had been elected to be a “faithful administrator” of a Church that would act as a “beacon that illuminates the dark nights of this world”.
The ascension of Robert Francis Prevost has been celebrated by the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, with joyous outbursts in his US homeland and in Peru, where he served for 20 years.
In his sermon on Friday, the new Pope said there were many settings where the Christian faith was considered “absurd” – with power, wealth, and technology dominating – but it was precisely there that missionary outreach was needed.
“A lack of faith is often tragically accompanied by the loss of meaning in life, the neglect of mercy, appalling violations of human dignity, the crisis of the family and so many other wounds that afflict our society,” he said in the address delivered in Italian.
Pope Leo, 69, wore a white papal robe trimmed in gold as he addressed the seated cardinals in the Sistine Chapel, an event broadcast live by the Vatican administration.
In an unscripted introduction before the homily, Leo also called on Church unity from his cardinals, telling them in American-accented English: “I know I can rely on each and every one of you to walk with me”.
Following weeks of anticipation, the previously-unknown Prevost was introduced as the new Pope to the world on Thursday evening in St Peter’s Square.
Tens of thousands of worshippers in the square burst into cheers when white smoke curled out of the Vatican’s chimney on the second day of the conclave’s voting.
Shortly after, the Chicago-born Prevost appeared on the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica. In his first words to the crowds he outlined a vision of a “missionary” Church which “builds bridges, which holds dialogues, which is always open”.
He echoed his predecessor, the late Pope Francis, in calling for peace.
“Help us, and each other, to build bridges through dialogue, through encounter, to come together as one people, always in peace,” he said.
World leaders have rushed to congratulate Prevost on his election, pledging to work with him on global issues amid uncertain times. US President Donald Trump called it a “great honour” to have the first American pope.
Prevost, who had previously been the Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru, was only made an archbishop and then cardinal in 2023. He was elected by his fellow cardinals in what is believed to be four rounds of voting in the secret conclave that took place two weeks after Francis died.
He is seen as being aligned with the progressive late Pope, who was viewed as a champion of human rights and the poor and celebrated for his charismatic style that sought to make the Catholic Church more outward-facing.
Vatican watchers have noted that Francis appeared to have brought Prevost to Rome in recent years, perhaps to set him up as a potential successor.
The Augustinian missionary worked for decades with the poor and marginalised in Peru, where he obtained nationality in 2015.
In his previous role as Cardinal Prevost, he had also expressed or amplified criticism of the US administration under President Trump, including its anti-immigration policies.
On an X account under his name, he had criticised Vice President JD Vance in February. Vance, who is a Catholic convert, had said Christians should love their family, neighbours, community and fellow citizens in that order. Prevost had written: “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others”.
As Pope now, he faces a momentous task in leading the Church in a time of significant global conflicts. Observers have expressed hope that he can offer a counterpoint to more divisive voices on the world stage.
His next appearances, at Sunday’s midday Regina Coeli prayer in St Peter’s Basilica and a Monday news conference with journalists, will be closely watched for signs as to which direction he intends to lead the Church and what kind of Pope he will be.
[BBC]
Sustained heavy gunfire and loud explosions have been heard in Niger near the international airport outside the capital, Niamey.
Multiple eyewitness accounts and videos showed air defence systems apparently engaging unidentified projectiles in the early hours of Thursday.
The situation later calmed down, reports say, with an official reportedly saying the situation was now under control, without elaborating.
It is not clear what caused the blasts, or if there were any casualties. There has been no official statement from the military government.
The gunfire and blasts began shortly after midnight, according to residents of a neighbourhood near the Diori Hamani International Airport, the AFP news agency reports. They said calm returned after two hours.
The airport houses an air force base and is located about 10km (six miles) from the presidential palace.
Niger is led by Abdourahamane Tiani who seized power in a 2023 coup that ousted the country’s elected civilian president.
Like its neighbours Burkina Faso and Mali, the country has been fighting jihadist groups who have carried out deadly attacks across the region.
It is also a major producer of uranium.
A huge uranium shipment destined for export has been stuck at the airport amid unresolved legal and diplomatic complications with France after the military government nationalised the country’s uranium mines.
“The situation is under control. There is no need to worry,” the Anadolu news agency quoted a Foreign Affairs ministry official as saying, without elaborating.
The official told the agency they were trying to determine whether the gunfire was linked to the uranium shipment.
[BBC]
A South Korean court has sentenced former First Lady Kim Keon Hee to one year and eight months in prison after finding her guilty of accepting bribes from the Unification Church, according to South Korea’s official Yonhap news agency.
The Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday cleared Kim, the wife of disgraced ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol, of additional charges of stock price manipulation and violating the political funds act.
Kim was accused of receiving bribes and lavish gifts from businesses and politicians, as well as the Unification Church, totaling at least $200,000.
The prosecution team had also indicted Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja, now on trial, after the religious group was suspected of giving Kim valuables, including two Chanel handbags and a diamond necklace, as part of its efforts to win influence with the president’s wife.
Prosecutors in December said Kim had “stood above the law” and colluded with the religious sect to undermine “the constitutionally mandated separation of religion and state”.
Prosecutor Min Joong-ki also said South Korea’s institutions were “severely undermined by abuses of power” committed by Kim.
The former first lady had denied all the charges, claiming the allegations against her were “deeply unjust” in her final testimony last month.
But she has also apologised for “causing trouble despite being a person of no importance”.
[Aljazeera]
A plane crash has killed the deputy chief minister of India’s Maharashtra state, Ajit Pawar, the country’s aviation regulator has said.
The plane, which took off from the state capital, Mumbai, on Wednesday, crash-landed at the airport in Pawar’s constituency of Baramati, according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Two members of the prominent politician’s staff and two crew members were also reported to have been killed.
The cause of the crash has not yet been officially confirmed.
Flightradar24, an online flight tracking service, said the aircraft was attempting a second approach to Baramati airport when it crashed.
The Times of India newspaper quoted DGCA officials as saying the aircraft, a Learjet 45 operated by a company called VSR, crashed at about 8:45am local time (03:15 GMT).
The daily said Pawar, the nephew of veteran politician Sharad Pawar, who founded the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), was on his way to attend a public rally for the district council elections.
A witness quoted by the newspaper said the aircraft exploded moments after hitting the ground.
“When we rushed to the spot, the aircraft was on fire. There were four to five more explosions. People tried to pull the passengers out, but the fire was too intense,” said the witness.
Pawar, 66, built his political base through the grassroots cooperative movement. He was a key figure in state politics and served as the second-highest elected official in Maharashtra, as part of the larger federal governing coalition led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He wielded considerable influence in the state’s vibrant sugar belt and was known for his ability to mobilise rural voters.
[Aljazeera]
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